The Sports Xchange's 2013 PGA Tour rankings, selected by TSX Golf Staff, based on 2012-2013 performance.
1. Tiger Woods,
United States -- One week after a dominating seven-stroke victory in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Woods seemed to have it going again when he was 2 under par through six holes in the
PGA Championship. However, he missed a four-foot birdie putt a few holes later, and his game completely unraveled from there. He failed to break the par of 70 in four tries and wound up in a tie for 40th. That means he went oh-for-the majors for a fifth consecutive season, since winning the 2008 U.S. Open, and he remains stuck on 14 titles in the Grand Slam events in pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18. ... Tiger, who leads the
FedEx Cup standings, is taking a week off before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs at the Barclays. He has never played in the Wyndham Championship, this week's tournament, and will be resting up for the final stretch of the season, when he will try to win the FedEx Cup for the third time before the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village in October. ... The best Woods could do last week at
Oak Hill was scramble for even-par 70s in the second and fourth rounds, as he went 30 holes with only one birdie before carding three in a span of four holes through No. 15 on Sunday. After starting with 71-70, he had a chance to get back in it with a low round on Saturday, but instead made two bogeys on the first three holes and recorded his only birdie on the 11th en route to a killer 73. His entire game was spotty, but after taking only 27 putts on Thursday, he needed 32 in each of the middle rounds and did not regain his touch until he finished with seven consecutive one-putts for a total of 26 putts on Sunday.
2. Adam Scott, Australia -- Looking for bookend titles to the major season, Scott was only two strokes out of the lead through 36 holes of the
PGA Championship, but he shot 72-70 on the weekend to wind up in a tie for fifth, five strokes behind champion Jason Dufner. Still, he capped a brilliant run in the Grand Slam events, having become the first Australian to win the Masters and tying for third in the Open Championship at Muirfield. He has finished in the top 10 in the majors seven times in the past three years. ... Scotty has played only 11 times on the
PGA Tour this season, so he should be well-rested for the PGA Tour playoffs that start next week at the Barclays, and he is in good shape at 10th in the
FedEx Cup standings. He has played twice in the
Wyndham Championship, but not since he missed the cut in 2009, and he will not be in Greensboro this week. The Aussie still has plenty on his schedule this year, including the Presidents Cup and his triumphant return home to play in the big Australian events. ... Scott opened with 65-68 last week at
Oak Hill, carding a total of 11 birdies, including five in a row through the eighth hole in the first round. It seemed he was primed for another big day when he birdied the first hole on Saturday, but he would make only one more, on the 14th hole. The big setback was a double-bogey 6 at No. 16. The biggest problem in round three was his long putter, as he took 32 putts. He averaged 27 putts per round the other three days. Scott tried to rally with five birdies on Sunday, but he also had five bogeys and never got back into the hunt.
3. Phil Mickelson,
United States -- The pre-tournament hype of a Mickelson-Tiger Woods battle never materialized, and in fact they were closer to the bottom of the pack than the top in the PGA Championship. Lefty couldn't equal the par of 70 in any of his four rounds and finished in a tie for 72nd, his worst finish in the final major of the year other than a missed cut in 1995 at Riviera. He beat only two players who made the cut, Gary Woodland and Darren Clarke. His previous worst when he made the cut in the PGA was a tie for 57th in 1999 at Medinah. ... Lefty has played in what is now the
Wyndham Championship three times, but not since he tied for sixth in 1998, and he won't be back this week. He is fourth in the
FedEx Cup standings and will take a week off before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs at the Barclays, where he will be going for the Barclays double after winning the Barclays Scottish Open last month. ... Mickelson, coming off his victory in the Open Championship, was still on the edge of contention at
Oak Hill after rounds of 71-71, but the wheels came off on Saturday, when he stumbled to a 78. Things got ugly quickly, as he recorded a bogey 6 on the fourth hole and a triple-bogey 7 on the seventh hole while shooting 4-over 39 on the front side. Lefty hit only five of 14 fairways and needed 34 putts in the round. He added another triple at No. 5 and his fourth double of the week at No. 7 while again shooting 39 on the first nine on Sunday, but he finished with a 72 when he played the back in 2 under.
4. Matt Kuchar,
United States -- After putting himself in position to make a weekend run toward his first major title, Kuchar was derailed by a 6-over-par 76 in the third round of the
PGA Championship and finished in a tie for 22nd. It was better than missing the cut in three of his previous five appearances in the final major of the year. His best finish in the PGA remains a tie for 10th in 2010 at Whistling Straits. ... Kooch has played 19 times this season on the
PGA Tour, so he is skipping the
Wyndham Championship, which he has not played since he missed the cut for the third consecutive year in 2005. He ranks second in the
FedEx Cup standings behind Tiger Woods heading into the PGA playoffs next week at the Barclays, which he won in 2010 before finishing second in his title defense in 2011. ... After opening with 67-68 last week at
Oak Hill, Kuchar seemed to be ready for another good round on Saturday, when he started with a birdie on the first hole. But that was his only one of the day, and he fell back quickly when he hit his tee shot into the water and made a double-bogey 5 on the third hole en route to a 4-over 39 on the front nine. After hitting 28 of 36 greens on the first two days, Kooch was nine of 18 on Saturday, and he also needed 32 putts after averaging 28.5 on Thursday and Friday. He was the last player in the field to record a birdie, and it came on the final hole in the second round. Any chance he still had in the final round disappeared quickly when he recorded a triple-bogey 7 on the second hole en route to a 71.
5. Brandt Snedeker,
United States -- Having finished in the top 20 in the first three majors of the seasons, Snedeker was yet another player given a solid chance to break through for his first major victory last week in the
PGA Championship. However, he could not break the par of 70 in any of his four rounds, totaling only nine birdies in 72 holes, and he wound up in a tie for 66th. He still does not have a top-10 finish in the final major of the season, with his best result a tie for 24th in 2008 at Oakland Hills. ... Sneds has played four consecutive weeks already and will keep it going this week in the
Wyndham Championship, eventually making it seven in a row before a one-week break in the middle of the PGA Tour playoffs. He is playing in Greensboro for the seventh consecutive year, and he won there in his initial appearance in 2007, closing with a 9-under-par 63 to claim his first
PGA Tour title by two strokes over Jeff Overton, Tim Petrovic and Billy Mayfair. ... Snedeker shot even-par 70 in the first and third rounds at
Oak Hill, carding three birdies each day. But he made only one birdie in a 73 on Friday and hit the wall with a 76 on Sunday, recording six bogeys and a double bogey to go with his two birdies. The final round could have been even uglier, as he hit only five of 14 fairways and seven of 18 greens but saved himself from shooting 80 or higher by taking only 25 putts, including nine one-putts and a hole-out from off the green.
6. Justin Rose, England -- The U.S. Open champion was only three strokes out of the lead after two rounds of the
PGA Championship, trying to become the first player to win two majors in one season since Padraig Harrington in 2008. Then he played the weekend in 77-72 and plummeted to a tie for 33rd. However, he still has to consider it a successful major season after becoming the first Englishman to capture one of the Grand Slam events since Nick Faldo won the 1996. ... Even though he has two top-10 finishes in the
Wyndham Championship, including a tie for fifth in 2009, Rose is skipping the event in order to be ready for the start of the PGA Tour playoffs next week at the Barclays. His five top-10 finishes this season on the circuit have him ranked a solid seventh in the
FedEx Cup standings and looking to make a run in the postseason. ... After shooting 68-66 in the first two rounds at
Oak Hill, Rose played himself out of contention quickly in round three of the PGA by carding two bogeys and two double bogeys on the first four holes en route to a 6-over-par 42 on the front nine. After recording 11 birdies in the first two rounds, he managed only one, on No. 12, on a dismal Saturday. Rosy couldn't really blame his ball-striking, as he hit nine of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens, but he needed 35 putts in round three after ranking among the leaders by taking a total of only 47 strokes on the greens the first two days. Hoping for a miracle on Sunday, he birdied three of the first eight holes but made a double-bogey 6 on No. 4 for the second straight day.
7. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland -- Defending his title in the
PGA Championship, McIlroy shrugged off the problems of a disappointing season to roar into contention with a 3-under-par 67 in the third round at Oak Hill. However, he lost any chance to repeat in a span of two holes early in the final round, closing with a 70 to finish in a tie for eighth, his fourth top-10 finish in five appearances in the final major of the year. ... Rory still has the PGA Tour playoffs and the rest of the Race to Dubai on the European Tour to salvage something of 2013 after a career year in 2012 that saw him rise to No. 1 in the World Golf Rankings. He is passing on the
Wyndham Championship, which he has never played, ahead of the playoff opener at the Barclays. He ranks only 46th in the
FedEx Cup standings, but all it takes is one high finish to move up quickly during the playoffs. ... McIlroy crept to within five strokes of the lead in the PGA with a birdie on the third hole in the final round, but then surprisingly missed a three-foot putt on the next hole that would have put him even closer. Any chance he still had disappeared on the next hole along with his ball into the water on his approach to the fifth green. He needed six strokes to reach the green and left with a triple-bogey 7. McIlroy found something in his putting stroke while working with instructor Dave Stockton early in the week and averaged 26.8 putts per round, including 25 in each of the last two rounds.
8. Jason Dufner,
United States -- Two years after blowing a five-stroke lead with four holes to play and losing in a playoff to Keegan Bradley in the
PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club, Dufner closed with a 2-under-par 68 and this time captured the final major of the season by two strokes over Jim Furyk. Dufner, who last year claimed the first two victories of his
PGA Tour career at age 35, took the lead by equaling the major championship record with a 63 in the second round. He bounced back from a 71 in round three by outplaying the 43-year-old Furyk, whose only major title came in the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields, head to head in the final round. ... Dufner, who turned around a lackluster season by tying for fourth in both the U.S. Open and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, is taking this week off ahead of the first event of the PGA Tour playoffs, the Barclays. By winning at
Oak Hill, he rose 48 spots 14th in the
FedEx Cup standings. ... Dufner built a two-stroke lead by playing the first 16 holes of the final round at Oak Hill in 4 under, and it didn't matter that he made his only bogeys on the last two holes because Furyk, who closed with a 71, also finished bogey-bogey. Duf holed his second shot from 105 yards for an eagle on the second hole to kick-start his 63, the 16th such score posted in major-championship history. He made five birdies in a bogey-free round to break the course record of 64 set by Ben Hogan (1942) and matched by Curtis Strange (1989) and Webb Simpson a few hours earlier in the second round. Despite his reputation as a sub-par putter, Dufner averaged 28.5 putts per round, struggling only when he took 33 on Saturday.
9. Dustin Johnson, United States -- It took a 12-foot putt for par on the 18th hole on Friday for Johnson to make the cut right on the number at 72-71--143, but he climbed the leaderboard on the weekend with 65-69 to finish in a tie for eighth. While he might have left Oak Hill wondering what might have happened had he gotten off to a better start, he kept alive his streak of finishing in the top 10 in at least one major in each of the last five years, accomplishing the feat a total of six times in that span. ... DJ is another player who will be trying to salvage an up-and-down season in the PGA Tour playoffs and the Presidents Cup. He played in the
Wyndham Championship only in 2008, when he withdrew because of a cut finger after opening with a 1-over-par 73, and will pass on the tournament his week after playing 19 times already this year. Johnson ranks 15th in the
FedEx Cup standings heading to the playoff opener at the Barclays, which he won two years ago. ... After recording a total of only four birdies in the first two rounds at Oak Hill, Johnson reeled off 11 on the weekend, including six in his 65 on Saturday, when his only bogey came on the fifth hole. He had a chance to duplicate that score in the final round, when he was 3 under through 14 holes, but he took bogeys on Nos. 15 and 17. He also might have at least equaled 70 every day if not for a double-bogey 6 on the 10th hole in round one and a double-bogey 6 on the fifth hole the next day.
10. Luke Donald, England -- After Donald seemed to snap out of his recent tailspin with a tie for ninth in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he turned around and shot 71-74--145 to miss the cut by two strokes in the
PGA Championship. It was the third time he missed the weekend in his last four tournaments and the fourth time this season, also including the Open Championship and his double title defense in the BMW PGA Championship, flagship event of the European Tour at Wentworth. ... Yet another player looking for something to save a disappointing season, Donald hopes to make some noise in the PGA Tour playoffs and the Race to Dubai on the European Tour. He hasn't played in the Wyndham Championship after missing the cut in his last two appearances in Greensboro in 2003 and 2004. Luke ranks 54th in the
FedEx Cup standings heading to the Barclays and has some work to do in order to make the top 30 and play in the Tour Championship. ... Donald was at even par through nine holes in round one last week in the PGA after birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, but he made only one more birdie, on the fourth hole the next day. That got him to within one stroke of the cut-line, and he needed another birdie, but he finished with four consecutive pars and a bogey on the ninth hole. Donald dug himself an early hole in round two with bogeys on three of his first seven holes after starting at No. 10. He hit only 13 of 28 fairways and 19 of 36 greens while averaging 29.5 putts per round.
11. Bill Haas,
United States -- Opening with rounds of 68-70 in the
PGA Championship gave Haas not only a chance to finish in the top 10 for the first time in a major championship, but also an opportunity to do something his dad, Jay, never did, win one of the Grand Slam events. Then he played the weekend 71-72 and wound up in a tie for 25th. Bill Haas still has not cracked the top 10 in his 17 appearances in the majors. ... Haas has played 20 times this season on the
PGA Tour and is not looking to slow down, as he is in the field this week for the
Wyndham Championship ahead of the PGA Tour playoffs. He is a Carolina boy, having been born in Charlotte, and he will be playing at Greensboro for the ninth time. After missing the cut in his first four appearances and five of the first eight, he posted his best finish in the tournament when he tied for seventh last year. ... Haas recorded seven birdies in his first two rounds at
Oak Hill but could manage only three to lose ground on the weekend. He started the final round in a tie for 12th but fell back on a day of good scoring when he could manage only a single birdie, at the eighth hole. He lost his chance to finish in the top 10 when he recorded bogeys on the 14th and 18th holes. Hass wasn't really sharp in any phase of the game, as he hit only 29 of 56 fairways and 45 of 72 greens in regulation while averaging 29.5 putts per round.
12. Webb Simpson,
United States -- Simpson briefly held a share of the course record at Oak Hill when he shot 6-under-par 64 in the second round, only to have it broken by Jason Dufner a few hours later, but that was his only round in the 60s. He finished in a tie for 25th in the
PGA Championship. He missed the cut in his previous two appearances in the final major of the year, and he still does not have a top-10 finish in the majors other than his victory in the U.S. Open last year at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. ... Webb will tee it up for the 21st time this season on Thursday in the
Wyndham Championship, which he has played four times and where he claimed his first title on the
PGA Tour in 2011. He posted four scores of 3-under-67 or better at Greensboro, including 64 in round three, and won by three shots over George McNeill. He also tied for eighth at Sedgefield Country Club in 2010 and tied for 22nd in his title defense last year. ... Simpson had a chance to equal or break the major championship record of 63 after holing a 35-foot birdie putt on his 14th hole of the second round, No. 5 at Oak Hill. However, he carded his only bogey of the day when his approach shot on the seventh hole hit an overhanging branch, and he barely missed birdie putts on his last two holes to equal the 64s shot by Ben Hogan (1942) and Curtis Strange (1989) at Oak Hill. Simpson played the weekend in 73-72, losing ground quickly with a triple-bogey 7 at No. 2 on Saturday.
13. Steve Stricker,
United States -- Seeking his first major title at the age of 46, Stricker was only four strokes out of the lead entering the final round of the
PGA Championship. However, he could make only one birdie, on the 14th hole, while closing with a 3-over-par 73 that included a double-bogey 5 on the 15th hole, and he skidded to a tie for 12th. His best finish in the majors remains solo second in the 1999 PGA, two strokes behind Vijay Singh at Sahalee. ... Strick said he would play only about 11 times this season and is about finished because the final major of the year was his 10th start. However, he wants to make the Presidents Cup team and currently ranks ninth in the standings, so he probably will add a tournament in the PGA Tour playoffs, and he has won two of the four postseason events, the 2007 Barclays and the 2009 Deutsche Bank Championship. ... Stricker put himself in position to make a final-round charge that never came by posting rounds of 68-67-70 at Oak Hill. He carded only a single bogey in the second round, at No. 4. He seemed ready for another big day when he birdied the first hole on Saturday before shooting a disappointing 70. Stricker is recognized as one of the best putters in the world, and he averaged 28 putts per round over the first three days. However, he gave his chances away in the final round by taking a shocking 35 strokes on the greens after giving himself plenty of chances by hitting 14 of 18 greens in regulation.
14. Lee Westwood, England -- Another major, another major disappointment for Westwood, who opened with a bogey-free, 4-under-par 66 in the
PGA Championship and added a 66 in round three but wasn't very good the other two days. He wound up in a tie for 33rd. He remains probably the best player without a title in the Grand Slam events, as he has 11 top-10 finishes in the majors over the last six seasons without taking home the hardware. ... Westy has never played in the Wyndham Championship and won't start this week, looking ahead to the start of the PGA Tour playoffs at the Barclays, in which he tied for fifth last year. He ranks 34th in the FedEx Cup standings and will have to play well to ensure that he will make it all the way through the playoffs to the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. ... Westwood still had an outside chance entering the final round of the PGA at six strokes back, but that disappeared quickly when he played the front nine at
Oak Hillin 6-over 41, carding four bogeys and a double-bogey 5 on the third hole. He managed only two birdies, on the 10th and 14th holes, while putting up a 76 after shooting 73 two days earlier, when he also had only two birdies and a double-bogey 6 on the eighth hole. Westwood has made great strides with the putter this year, thanks to help from former Open champion Ian-Baker Finch, but he didn't have his touch at Oak Hill, where he averaged 30.8 putts per round, including 33 in the second round.
15. Keegan Bradley,
United States -- The 2011 PGA champion didn't really get it going until the last round of the final major of this year, closing with a 4-under-par 66 that could have been even better. He finished in a tie for 19th. It was his worst finish in three appearances in the tournament, as he tied for third last year at Kiawah Island in defense of the title he won two years ago in a playoff over Jason Dufner at Atlanta Athletic Club. ... With 21 tournaments under his belt already this season, Bradley is taking a week off and will skip the
Wyndham Championship, which he has never played, ahead of the
PGA Tour opener at the Barclays. He is in good shape heading into the postseason at ninth in the FedEx Cup standings, and he also is looking forward to the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village in October. ... Bradley carded six birdies in the first 13 holes in the final round at Oak Hill to get within six strokes of the top before the leaders teed off, but he ran out of steam and made two bogeys in the last five holes. He opened with a solid 69 but fell back by playing the middle rounds in 72-72, finishing bogey-par-double bogey to spoil what could have been another good round on Friday. Bradley took 28 putts in the first round but needed 31 in each of the middle rounds before really heating up with his belly putter on Sunday, when he needed only 25. After taking 14 putts on the front nine in the last round, he needed only 11 on the back, starting that side with five consecutive one-putts, and he took only one stroke on 11 of the 18 greens.
16. Hunter Mahan,
United States -- Playing for the first time since leaving the RBC Canadian Open to be with his wife, Kandi, for the birth of their first child, Zoe, while holding the lead entering the final round, Mahan was in contention for two rounds at the
PGA Championship. However, he faded on Saturday with an 8-over-par 78 and wound up in a tie for 57th. He was expecting more after finishing in a tie for fourth in the U.S. Open and a tie for ninth in the Open Championship, but he still has not finished in the top 10 in eight appearances in the final major of the season. ... Hunter has played in 21 tournaments this season, so he is skipping the Wyndham Championship, which he hasn't played since he tied for 12th in 2006, in order to get some rest ahead of the opener of the PGA Tour playoffs at the Barclays. His 12 finishes in the top 25, including four in the top 10, have him in decent shape in the FedEx Cup standings at 20th. ... Mahan opened with 70-68 last week at
Oak Hill, with his only big mistake a double-bogey 6 on the seventh hole in the second round. However, it came undone quickly on Saturday, when he recorded three bogeys and a double to shoot 5-over-40 on the front nine, and he finished off his 78 with a double-bogey 6 on the final hole. Mahan, who finished with a 71 despite a triple-bogey 7 on the fifth hole, was off in all phases of the game in round three, hitting only five of 14 fairways and six of 18 greens while taking 31 putts.
17. Ernie Els, South Africa -- Extending a run of bad form since winning the BMW International Open in Germany in June, Els shot 74-72--146 and missed the cut by three shots last week in the
PGA Championship. He failed to reach the weekend for the fifth time in 23 events around the world this year, and he has not finished in the top 20 in his last five tournaments since winning in Munich. ... The Big Easy has played in the
Wyndham Championship only twice, the last time when he tied for 30th in 2009, and he won't be at Greensboro this week, taking time off before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs after playing in 23 events around the world already this year. He won the Barclays before it was the playoff opener, in 1996 and 1997, and will need something like that again because he ranks 86th in the FedEx Cup standings. ... Els carded only two birdies in each round last week at
Oak Hill. He put himself in trouble by making three consecutive bogeys through No. 18 after starting round one on the back nine, then added three more bogeys on the front. He got off to a promising start on Friday with a birdie on the second hole but carded three bogeys on the back nine when he needed birdies to make it to the weekend. Ernie was not really sharp in any phase of the game, hitting only 13 of 28 fairways and 20 of 36 greens in regulation while averaging 31 putts per round.
18. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland -- McDowell didn't play his best golf until the final round of the
PGA Championship, when he closed with a 4-under-par 66 to finish in a tie for 12th. He salvaged something of his major season after missing the cut in the Masters and the U.S. Open before tying for 58th in the Open Championship. A year ago, the 2010 U.S. Open champion finished no worse than a tie for 12th in the Grand Slam events. ... G-Mac has never played in the Wyndham Championship, and he won't be in Greensboro this week, resting up for the
PGA Tour playoff opener at the Barclays after playing 16 times around the world this year. He ranks 27th in the FedEx Cup standings heading into the playoffs, thanks mainly to his victory in the RBC Heritage, but he is third in the European Tour's Race to Dubai after victories in the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Bulgaria and the Alstom Open de France. ... McDowell carded eight birdies in the final round at
Oak Hill, including five in a row through the eighth hole, but kept himself from a top-10 finish by also making four bogeys. He hit only six of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens but needed only 21 putts and a hole-out from off the green in his best round of the week. His birdie run on Sunday came after he made a total of only five in the first 54 holes. G-Mac was still in the hunt after starting with 70-69, but he fell back by recording a 73 in the third round, making his only birdie on the 13th hole.
19. Zach Johnson, United States -- Despite flirting with contention most of the way by at least equaling the par of 70 every day, Johnson could never make a really big move and wound up in a tie for eighth in the
PGA Championship. However, the 2007 Masters champion, who has finished in the top 10 in each of his last four events, once again showed that he can play with the big boys, even though he is one of the shorter hitters among the best golfers in the world. ... Having gotten his game going in the right direction in the last several weeks, Zach is going to play this week in the
Wyndham Championship for only the second time. He finished solo 61st at Greensboro in 2004 and tied for 26th in 2008, when he closed with a 6-under-par 64. His four recent top-10 finishes have lifted him to 23rd in the FedEx Cup standings with the Barclays, the PGA Tour playoffs opener, only a week away. ... Johnson saved his best golf of the week for the final round, closing with a bogey-free, 2-under-par 68, but simply couldn't put up enough birdies to make a move on the leaders. The problem on Sunday was his normally reliable putter, as he hit 12 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation but needed 31 strokes on the greens. He averaged 29.5 putts per round for the tournament. He recorded a total of 11 birdies while putting up scores of 69-70-70 on the first three days at
Oak Hill, but he also mixed in 10 bogeys or he would have been up with the leaders.
20. Bubba Watson,
United States -- Continuing his struggles in the majors since winning the Masters last year, Bubba posted a score of 70-74--144 and missed the cut by one stroke in the
PGA Championship at Oak Hill. In seven majors since winning at Augusta National, he has missed the cut twice, and his only top-20 finish was a tie for 11th in the PGA last year at Kiawah Island. He missed the weekend for the fourth time in 20 events this season. ... Watson has not played in the
Wyndham Championship since he missed the cut there in 2008 and 2009, and he will take the week off before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs at the Barclays, in which he tied for 10th last year. He could use a fast start like that to solidify his position in the FedEx Cup standings, as he ranks 35th after playing in 18 tournaments on the
PGA Tour this season. ... Watson played well in round one last week at Oak Hill, except for a double-bogey 5 on the 11th hole that kept him from breaking the par of 70. However, he carded his only birdie in round two on the 15th hole after starting at No. 10, and he also put up four bogeys on that back nine. Bubba was inside the cut-line until a bogey at No. 3, and he finished with six consecutive pars when he needed only a single birdie to play on the weekend. He hit roughly 60 percent of the fairways and greens but struggled with the putter, taking 32 putts in round one and 31 the next day.
Others receiving consideration: Ian Poulter, England; Jordan Spieth, United States; Henrik Stenson, Sweden; Charl Schwartzel, South Africa; Sergio Garcia, Spain; Jason Day, Australia; Charles Howell III, United States; Martin Laird, Scotland; Angel Cabrera, Argentina; Kevin Streelman, United States; D.A. Points, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; John Merrick, United States; Russell Henley, United States; David Lingmerth, Sweden; Sang-Moon Bae, South Korea; Boo Weekley, United States; Harris English, United States; Jonas Blixt, Sweden.
